I am going to add some USRPT training later because I love the idea of fast feedback. I tried a set last October, with target time 2'5" / 100 m (5 seconds faster than the pace on a recent 1500 m T/T) (although not strictly in adherence because I started every 2'20" instead of 2'25" for 20 seconds rest) and within a week I pushed my first failure from 8 to completing all 30, requiring me to "level up". I tried reducing the target time by 5 seconds / 100 m but it became too hard such that I couldn't get through the initial 5.
Afterwards the pool I used closed so I didn't continue this training, but I am looking to resume it when the pool reopens again next week. I will take a 1500 m T/T the first time I get back to the pool.
I consider that a pace is too easy if I can complete all 30 reps without a failure, and too hard if I can't get through the initial 5. How should I identify my initial goal time? Is directly using the 1500 m T/T pace good enough, or should I reduce a few seconds? And if I need to level up, how many seconds should I take away for each 100 m?
I am currently targeting my 1500 m speed in these few months, however eventually I will need to race for 5 km a few months later, and 15 km next year, and will need to modify the workout for that? Does anyone have any hints or should I return to traditional training by then? I want to build up my speed first, then endurance second, because I can swim for 5 - 7 km continuously without problem now, but at a very slow speed (around 2 hours for 5 km).
Thanks scyfreestyler!
A little background for those who have not read some of the old USRPT posts...
I started USRPT in September of 2014, five days a week as a 65 year old, for the express purpose of breaking the 400 SCM record in the 65 - 69 age group. In March of 2015 I broke the record at an SCM meet in Oregon City, Oregon, then did it again at the Canadian Nationals in May of that year.
In my experience over the years with USRPT, I have found that many, if not most people, believe that because the name is Ultra Short Race Pace Training, that the "short" part pertains to the distance for which you are training i.e. short distance like the 50, 100 or even 200. I believe that USRPT is actually a better method for distance events than it is for sprint events, but don't tell that to Michael Andrew who has shown much success in the sprints at the International level.
The "short" in USRPT pertains to the repeat distance you use to train for your event, thus a repeat distance of 25 and 50 for sprinters, and 75 and 100 for distance swimmers. In my training for the 400 record, I did 25s and 50 repeats at my goal time (:32) for my race. I found 75s to be too difficult in the sense of not being able to maintain my goal time for a significant number of repeats, but that was likely an age issue. There are also USRPT sets that use 12 1/2 yards for those people focusing on the 50.
For someone training for the 1500 or 1650, 100s at your goal pace time is very appropriate. If you find that you can do 30 or more at your goal time, then reduce the time by one second (not five seconds at a time) and see how many you can do. Every set you do in USRPT you should fail at some point. The protocol is three fails in the set, then the set is over. But most importantly it is the how many you can do before the first fail and then how many before the second fail etc...
A word about the number of repeats in a set. If you have read the papers of Dr. Rushall, he suggests sets of 20 or 30 etc at race pace. He and I have talked about this recently and we both wish he had not put a number on these sets. The concept should be to go until you can't make the goal time anymore...NOT 30 x 50 or 20 x 75 etc. In my current training, my total number of repeats of 50s at race pace in a set will vary from a low of 12 to a high of 24. Some days are better than others. But despite that, I only swim at race pace and that seems to serve me well. I also enjoy the daily challenge of how many I can do in each set...always striving to be better each day.
Thanks scyfreestyler!
A little background for those who have not read some of the old USRPT posts...
I started USRPT in September of 2014, five days a week as a 65 year old, for the express purpose of breaking the 400 SCM record in the 65 - 69 age group. In March of 2015 I broke the record at an SCM meet in Oregon City, Oregon, then did it again at the Canadian Nationals in May of that year.
In my experience over the years with USRPT, I have found that many, if not most people, believe that because the name is Ultra Short Race Pace Training, that the "short" part pertains to the distance for which you are training i.e. short distance like the 50, 100 or even 200. I believe that USRPT is actually a better method for distance events than it is for sprint events, but don't tell that to Michael Andrew who has shown much success in the sprints at the International level.
The "short" in USRPT pertains to the repeat distance you use to train for your event, thus a repeat distance of 25 and 50 for sprinters, and 75 and 100 for distance swimmers. In my training for the 400 record, I did 25s and 50 repeats at my goal time (:32) for my race. I found 75s to be too difficult in the sense of not being able to maintain my goal time for a significant number of repeats, but that was likely an age issue. There are also USRPT sets that use 12 1/2 yards for those people focusing on the 50.
For someone training for the 1500 or 1650, 100s at your goal pace time is very appropriate. If you find that you can do 30 or more at your goal time, then reduce the time by one second (not five seconds at a time) and see how many you can do. Every set you do in USRPT you should fail at some point. The protocol is three fails in the set, then the set is over. But most importantly it is the how many you can do before the first fail and then how many before the second fail etc...
A word about the number of repeats in a set. If you have read the papers of Dr. Rushall, he suggests sets of 20 or 30 etc at race pace. He and I have talked about this recently and we both wish he had not put a number on these sets. The concept should be to go until you can't make the goal time anymore...NOT 30 x 50 or 20 x 75 etc. In my current training, my total number of repeats of 50s at race pace in a set will vary from a low of 12 to a high of 24. Some days are better than others. But despite that, I only swim at race pace and that seems to serve me well. I also enjoy the daily challenge of how many I can do in each set...always striving to be better each day.
